THE daughter of a well-known former Bury dentist has paid tribute to him.

William Eccles owned his own practice in Manchester Road for nearly 40 years before retiring in the mid 1990s while in his late 50s.

He died on January 6, aged 84, of pneumonia, following a battle with cancer.

Mr Eccles was born at Bury Infirmary in the early 1930s, and brought up in Whitefield where he attended Stand Grammar School before going on to study at Manchester University.

He started his career as a dentist in the Royal Air Force, after which he was commended for his service by Queen Elizabeth II.

Upon leaving the RAF, he decided to set up his own practice in his hometown.

Paying tribute to her father, Nicola Eccles, said: “After he had retired, his patients used to stop him in Bury when shopping because they remembered him. He was very well thought of so they would ask him if he was ok and if he was enjoying his retirement.

“I think he was quite humbled by the fact they still remembered him.

“He has treated a lot of families in Bury. My school friends and their families went to him.

“He enjoyed every bit of his retirement. He loved spending time with his grandchildren and loved life in general."

In his spare time, Mr Eccles was also a diving coach for 30 years at Oldham Diving Club.

As well as running his own business, he raised Nicola and her brother Tim on his own after their mother left when both children were still only young.

Ms Eccles added: “We called him the man, the myth, the legend. It was unheard of then for a man to be bringing up his children on his own.”

Mr Eccles was also a keen swimmer and even built himself a heated pool in his back garden after his retirement.

As well as his two children, Mr Eccles leaves behind two granddaughters, Alice and Amie.